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Published by Radar Online Freddie Mercury was dramatic yet reserved, extravagant yet modest, praised yet criticized. But above all, he was a talented and enigmatic musician whose onstage persona differed greatly from who he was behind closed doors. At least that’s what his family, friends and close colleagues had to say in Radar‘s exclusive sneak peek at the upcoming REELZ documentary, Freddie Mercury: Inside His Mind. Tim Staffell, Mercury’s former bandmate in the highly successful musical group which the frontman renamed Queen, said that the name “certainly went along with [Freddie’s] notion of this kind of pompous, in-your-face presentation that would become his trademark.” The band’s new designation and direction stemmed from an idea Freddie had had in college, and its identity took shape in the form of the Tanzanian rocker himself. mega “This was a completely new chemical reaction,” the famed musician once explained of the group’s name change. “And it had to have a new meaning and a new title and everything so that we felt fresh.” He lived, breathed and died for Queen. And perhaps that’s because he knew he had more at stake, given that his bandmates all had comfortable and prestigious backup plans. “He couldn’t do anything else,” said Lesley-Ann Jones, a music journalist. “So if you take the other members of the band – __Brian [May]__, the astrophysicist, the great scientific career ahead of him; __Roger Taylor__, the trained dentist; __John Deacon__, the engineer – Freddie had nothing else! He couldn’t do anything else.” The late legend echoed the journalist’s sentiments in an earlier interview from 1985, telling a reporter that if he “didn’t do this, I wouldn’t have anything else to do.” “I can’t cook,” joked the singer. “I’m not very good at being a housewife.” His music, his fashion choices and everything the public was privy to actually propelled him to the top of the charts with one hit record after another. But hiding behind what experts believe was a carefully crafted public persona was a tumultuous secret life that few ever saw. Series psychiatrist Dr. Bob Johnson, along with those who knew the rocker best, will reveal much about the disparity between what people saw and the man Freddie Mercury – real name Farrokh Bulsara – really was. Freddie Mercury: Inside His Mind premieres Saturday, November 20 at 8 PM ET/PT on REELZ. Watch REELZ on DIRECTV 238, Dish Network 299, Verizon FiOS 692, AT&T U-verse 1799 and in HD on cable systems and streaming services nationwide. Find REELZ on your local cable or satellite provider at www.reelz.com. REELZ View the full article

Published by OK Magazine In her corner! Madonnais still fighting forBritney Spearssince the singer’s controversial conservatorship was terminated last week. On Friday, November 12, the judge on Britney’s case ruled to officially put an end to the oppressive conservatorship that has controlled her life for the past 13 years. According to Page Six, a source reveals the Queen of Pop, 63, was “in touch with Britney Spears multiple times” as the 39-year-old battled it out in court to put an end to the “abusive” arrangement. MEGA “Madonna has always had a soft spot for Britney and couldn’t sit idly by when she felt there were clear injustices going on,” the source said. BRITNEY SPEARS WOULD NOT ALLOW LYNNE SPEARS INTO HER HOME AFTER HER MOTHER FLEW FROM LOUISIANA TO LOS ANGELES TO SEE HER: REPORT The controversial conservatorship — which was put into place in 2008 — has attracted public attention in recent years after it was speculated that Britney’s father Jamie Spears, along with the rest of the conservatorship team, were abusing their power over the pop superstar. Even though the “Toxic” singer has finally been freed, her gal pal is not letting the wrongdoings of Spears’ conservators go unnoticed. “Madonna is waging the war,” the source told the outlet. “She is hellbent on righting the wrongs that Britney had to endure. She has offered to help in any way that she can and is not afraid to speak up or intervene if needed.” Madonna previously spoke out in defense of the Princess of Pop following Britney’s bombshell court testimony back in June, where she claimed that her father “should be in jail”. ZO5/Owen Beiny / WENN/Newscom/The Mega Agency “Give this woman her life back,” the “Papa Don’t Preach” singer wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of herself wearing a “Britney Spears” tank top. “Slavery was abolished so long ago! Death to the greedy patriarchy that has been doing this to women for centuries. This is a violation of human rights!” she continued at the time. “Britney we coming to get you out of jail.” As OK! previously reported, Britney is apparently adamant on seeking “payback and justice” for her conservatorship while she celebrates her newly-granted freedom. “There are still a ton of unresolved questions she wants answered in a formal setting,” a source told Us Weekly earlier this week. MEGA BRITNEY SPEARS ‘THINKING ABOUT HAVING A BABY WITH HUNKY FIANCÉ SAM ASGHARI AS THE LOVEBIRDS PREPARE FOR THEIR UPCOMING WEDDING Her lawyer, Matthew Rosengart, has also insisted that Spears’ former conservators will not be getting off easy, as the attorney plans to launch a thorough investigation into the allegations that Jamie and others stole money from the singer and eavesdropped on her private conversations. In the meantime, the Crossroads actress is basking in the joy of finally being liberated as she plans her wedding with fiancé Sam Asghari. View the full article

Published by Reuters By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted unanimously on Thursday to require wireless carriers to allow texting to the new “988” U.S. National Suicide Prevention hotline that will begin use by July 2022. “For individuals in crisis, text messaging can make it easier to contact a crisis counselor by allowing for a certain level of anonymity rather than engaging in a phone conversation,” the FCC said in a statement. FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said “millions of us, but especially young people and those with disabilities, are more likely to text than call when they are in crisis. The bottom line is it shouldn’t matter if you make a voice call or send a text message because we should connect people in crisis to the resources they need, no matter how they communicate.” The “988” three-digit code will direct calls to the existing suicide prevention helpline (800) 273-8255, which will also remain in service. There is a separate Veterans Crisis Line that people can reach at (800)273-8255 and will be able to reach through 988. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said U.S. suicide rates increased 33% between 1999 and 2019. Deaths by suicide declined by 5.6%, from 47,511 to 44,834, between 2019 and 2020, according to early CDC data published by the JAMA medical journal. In 2019, 12 million American adults seriously thought about suicide, 3.5 million planned a suicide attempt, and 1.4 million attempted suicide, the CDC said. The suicide prevention line consists of a national network of approximately 180 crisis centers linked by the toll-free number. In 2020, a total of 2.2 million calls were answered. The FCC noted that some major carriers, including AT&T, are making “988” available ahead of the deadline. The shift to “988” has impacted some local calling. Starting last month, wireless users in many parts of the United States had to include the area code when dialing a local number. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. House of Representatives could vote on President Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion “Build Back Better” legislation on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, as long as some technical details from congressional committees are in hand. House members also were awaiting the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office’s final assessment of whether the legislation would meet the Biden administration’s promise it would not result in deficit-spending. Moderate House Democrats have been particularly interested in receiving the CBO “score” of the bill. It is unclear whether any moderates would withhold their support for the sprawling bill if the analysis finds additional tax revenues embedded in the bill would not cover the new spending. “Those votes hopefully will take place later this afternoon,” Pelosi told reporters. Before holding a vote on passing the major new investments on social programs and confronting climate change, the House would first have to advance the bill over some procedural hurdles requiring at least one vote. Republicans are expected to oppose the legislation in lock-step following months of attacking it as a wasteful “socialist” agenda that will stoke price inflation. Meanwhile, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, who also has sounded alarms over inflation, gave his full-throttled support on Thursday for the bill. “This is as close to a no-brainer as I’ve seen in decades of public policy analysis,” Summers told reporters on a call hosted by the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress. He warned the $1.7 trillion legislation might be the last opportunity for some time to expand the IRS’s auditing capability and begin collecting billions of dollars of taxes not being paid by mostly high-income Americans. (Reporting by Richrd Cowan and David Morgan; additional reporting by Andrea Shalal; editing by Tim Ahmann and Chris Reese) View the full article

Published by Radar Online Matt Gaetzhas his eyes on Kyle Rittenhouse while the embattled teenager is on trial for murder after fatally shooting two Black Lives Matter protestors and injuring another last year. In an interview, the disgraced Republican politician made a bold statement, saying he believes Rittenhouse would make a “pretty good congressional intern.” While speaking to Newsmax on Wednesday, Gaetz said his office might extend an offer to Rittenhouse while rooting for the shooter’s victory during the trial. “He deserves a not guilty verdict, and I sure hope he gets it because you know what, Kyle Rittenhouse would probably make a pretty good congressional intern,” Getz claimed. “We may reach out to him and see if he’d be interested in helping the country in additional ways.” MEGA Twelve jurors are currently deciding Rittenhouse’s fate after the 18-year-old was charged five felony charges, including first-degree intentional murder. Rittenhouse has pled not guilty to all charges claiming he was acting in self-defense during the chaos. The conservative representative also spilled his thoughts on self-proclaimed QAnon Shaman, who pled guilty for his role in the Capital Riot, labeling the insurrectionist as “relatively harmless” and “non-violent vegan.” The Shaman, whose real name is Jacob Chansley, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison after being found guilty of unlawfully obstructing an official proceeding. MEGA “The notion that he’s got to be in prison for 3 1/2 years to settle some sort of political score defies justice,” Gaetz added. “The American people deserve a Department of Justice that is the least political agency in Washington, and instead what we’ve got is a Department of Justice that is the most political agency in Washington.” Gaetz is currently under investigation by the DOP for allegedly hiring young women as prostitutes. The DOP is also looking into whether he had engaged in sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old girl before transporting her across state lines. According to sources, the department added two top prosecutors to dig deeper into their ongoing federal probe. AsRadar previously reported, the Rittenhouse could face life in prison if he’s convicted after using an AR-style semiautomatic rifle to fatally shoot Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber. He also fired his gun at Gaige Grosskreutz, leaving him injured, during the protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, that stemmed from Jacob Blake being shot by the police in August 2020. MEGA View the full article

Published by Reuters By Nancy Lapid (Reuters) – The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review. Antibody protection from mild COVID-19 may not last Nearly everyone who had a mild case of COVID-19 still has antibodies to the coronavirus a year later, but that might not protect them from new variants, a small study suggests. Among 43 Australians who dealt with mild COVID-19 early in the pandemic, 90% still had antibodies 12 months later. But only 51.2% had antibodies that showed “neutralizing activity” against the original version of the virus and only 44.2% had antibodies that could neutralize the early Alpha variant, the research team at the University of Adelaide reported on Thursday on medRxiv https://bit.ly/3oGL2k1 ahead of peer review. Neutralizing antibodies against the now dominant and highly transmissible Delta variant were seen in only 16.2%, with 11.6% against Gamma, and against Beta in only 4.6%. Those who had mild COVID-19 “are vulnerable to infection with circulating and newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants 12 months after recovery,” the researchers said. The findings “reinforce the potential benefit” of tailoring vaccine boosters to currently circulating variants, similar to how annual flu vaccines are tailored to current influenza strains, they said. 100 million have or had long COVID, study estimates More than 40% of COVID-19 survivors worldwide have had lingering after-effects of the illness, researchers from the University of Michigan estimate, based on their review of 40 earlier studies from 17 countries that looked at patients’ experiences with so-called long COVID, defined as new or persistent symptoms at four or more weeks after infection. The prevalence rises to 57% among survivors who required hospitalization, the researchers reported on Tuesday on medRxiv https://bit.ly/3FmiuTu ahead of peer review. The rate was 49% among female survivors and 37% among males, they said. The estimated long COVID rate was 49% in Asia, 44% in Europe and 30% in North America. Among the most common problems, fatigue was estimated to affect 23%, while shortness of breath, joint pain and memory problems each affected 13%. The study likely did not capture all cases of long COVID, the researchers say. “Based on a WHO (World Health Organization) estimate of 237 million worldwide COVID-19 infections, this global pooled … estimate indicates that around 100 million individuals currently experience or have previously experienced long-term health-related consequences of COVID-19.” These health effects, they warn, “can exert marked stress on the healthcare system.” Virus’ effect on blood-thinning molecules causes clots Dangerous blood clots often seen in patients with COVID-19 happen at least in part because the spike on the virus attaches itself to molecules in the blood that play key roles in preventing clotting, thereby inactivating them, new research shows. With the virus bound to them, “these molecules (heparan sulfate/heparin) can’t do their usual anticoagulant activities,” explained Jingyu Yan of the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics in China. Blood clots associated with COVID-19 often damage the lungs and other organs and can cause heart attacks and strokes. The excessive clotting has been attributed to the high levels of inflammation caused by the SARS-CoV-2 infection. It has not been clear until now that the virus itself also has a direct effect, Yan’s team reported in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141813021022704. Fortunately, they point out, the now common practice of giving COVID-19 patients blood-thinning drugs can “significantly reduce” the clotting caused by the virus. Click for a Reuters graphic https://tmsnrt.rs/3c7R3Bl on vaccines in development. (Reporting by Nancy Lapid; Editing by Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Steve Holland, Humeyra Pamuk and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States is considering not sending a diplomatic delegation to the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, to protest China’s human rights practices, five sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Governments typically send a high-ranking delegation of diplomats to opening ceremonies in a show of international support for the thousands of athletes from around the world who participate. The 2022 Winter Olympics run from Feb. 4-20. Activists and some members of Congress from both parties have been pressing the Biden administration to diplomatically boycott the event. The U.S. government accuses China of carrying out a genocide against Muslim ethnic groups in its western Xinjiang region, accusations that Beijing denies. A Biden administration official said the United States is considering whether or not to send a delegation, while planning to allow American athletes to participate. Four sources with knowledge of the administration’s thinking said there was a growing consensus within the White House that it should keep U.S. officials away from the Beijing Olympics. White House officials declined comment on the looming U.S. delegation decision. A U.S. decision not to send diplomats would be a rebuke of Chinese President Xi Jinping just days after Xi and Biden worked to ease tensions in a virtual summit, their first extensive talks since Biden took office in January. The White House has stressed the care that Biden has put into defining the relationship. After Xi referred to Biden as “an old friend” during the summit, the White House emphasized that Biden does not see Xi as such. A bipartisan group of U.S. senators in October proposed an amendment to an annual defense policy bill that would prohibit the U.S. State Department from spending federal funds to “support or facilitate” the attendance of U.S. government employees at the Games. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has also called for a diplomatic boycott. Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was talking to countries around the world about “how they’re thinking about participation,” but left a deadline for a decision unclear. Republicans are keeping up the pressure on Biden. “The United States must boycott the Olympics completely,” said Nikki Haley, a Republican former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. “That includes our president. Attending sends a message that America is willing to turn a blind eye as Communist China commits genocide.” (Reporting by Steve Holland, Humeyra Pamuk, Patricia Zengerle, Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Heather Timmons and Howard Goller) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jesse Winter ABBOTSFORD, British Columbia (Reuters) – The death toll from massive floods and landslides that devastated parts of British Columbia is set to rise, with the Canadian province declaring a state of emergency on Wednesday and the federal government promising major help. Authorities have confirmed one death after torrential rains and mudslides destroyed roads and left several mountain towns isolated. At least three people are missing. Some 18,000 people are displaced in the Pacific Coast province, Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said. “We expect to confirm even more fatalities in the coming days,” British Columbia Premier John Horgan said, describing the calamity as a once-in-500-year event “We will bring in travel restrictions and ensure that transportation of essential goods and medical and emergency services are able to reach the communities that need them,” Horgan told a news conference, urging people not to hoard supplies. The floods and mudslides also severed access to the country’s largest port in Vancouver, disrupting already strained global supply chains. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government would help the province recover from what he called a “terrible, terrible disaster.” Ottawa is sending hundreds of air force personnel to aid the recovery and “there are thousands more on standby,” Trudeau told reporters in Washington ahead of a U.S.-Canada-Mexico summit on Thursday. Some affected towns are in remote mountain areas with limited access and freezing temperatures. In Tulameen, northeast of Vancouver, up to 400 people are trapped, many without power, said Erick Thompson, a spokesman for the area’s emergency operations. “(We) did a helicopter flight recently, dropped off food,” he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. In Hope, 100 miles (160 km) east of Vancouver, food was starting to run low. Pastor Jeff Kuhn said a quarter of the town’s 6,000 residents were seeking shelter. About 100 volunteers at the Dukh Nivaran Sahib Gurdwara Sikh temple in Surrey spent all night Tuesday preparing about 3,000 meals and then hired helicopters to deliver the food to Hope, said the temple’s president, Narinder Singh Walia. SECOND RECENT CALAMITY The disaster could be one of the most expensive in Canadian history. The flooding is the second weather-related calamity to hit British Columbia in the past few months. A massive in the same region as some of the devastation destroyed an entire town in late June. “These are extraordinary events not measured before, not contemplated before,” Horgan said. Canadian exporters of commodities from grain to fertilizer and oil scrambled to divert shipments away from Vancouver but found few easy alternatives. Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd and Canadian National Railway Co , the country’s two biggest rail companies, said their lines into Vancouver remained unusable on Wednesday. After a phenomenon known as an atmospheric river dumped a month’s worth of rain in two days, officials are concerned that another downpour could overwhelm a pumping station near Abbotsford, a city of 160,000 east of Vancouver, which has already been partly evacuated. Mayor Henry Braun said volunteers built a dam around the station overnight. “That will buy us some more time, but if we had another weather event like we just went through, we are in deep doo-doo (trouble),” he told reporters. Abbotsford farmers ignored an evacuation order on Tuesday and desperately tried to save animals from rising waters, in some cases tying ropes around the necks of cows and pulling them to higher ground. Provincial Agriculture Minister Lana Popham said thousands of animals had died and others would have to be euthanized. Environment Canada said Abbotsford would receive more rain early next week. Rescuer Mike Danks, part of an Abbotsford evacuation team, said the situation had been very tough. “The majority of people had elderly parents with them that were unable to walk, suffered from dementia,” he told local outlet Black Press Media. (Reporting by Jesse Winter in Abbotsford, British Columbia, David Ljunggren in Ottawa, Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru, Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Anna Mehler Paperny in Toronto and Nia William in Calgary; Writing by David Ljunggren; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Peter Cooney) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Nathan Layne KENOSHA, Wis. (Reuters) – Jurors in the Wisconsin murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse will deliberate for a third day on Thursday, picking up after they reviewed a series of videos of the teenager killing two men and wounding a third during racial justice protests last year. Rittenhouse, 18, is charged with killing Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and attempted homicide in the wounding of Gaige Grosskreutz, 28, during a chaotic night of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 25, 2020. The jury of 7 women and 5 men has so far spent roughly 14 hours weighing two weeks of testimony, which included considerable evidence in support of Rittenhouse’s assertion that he used his weapon after being attacked. He faces life in prison if convicted on the most serious charge. For the last hour on Wednesday, the jury re-watched videos in evidence, including drone footage of the Rosenbaum shooting and videos of the subsequent shootings of Huber and Grosskreutz and the attempted shooting of an unidentified male. Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time of the shootings, has pleaded not guilty and testified last week that he fired his weapon in self defense. He said Rosenbaum, the first person he shot that night, grabbed the barrel of his gun. Defense lawyers made a new request for a mistrial on Wednesday, saying prosecutors withheld the high-definition version of a drone video in evidence and enhanced it in order to portray Rittenhouse as a threat. Prosecutors denied the defense’s allegation. The shootings took place in Kenosha during protests – marred by arson, rioting and looting – that followed the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, who was left paralyzed from the waist down. The trial has emerged as the most closely watched case involving a civilian’s right to self-defense since George Zimmerman was acquitted in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager, in 2013. Like Zimmerman, Rittenhouse has become a polarizing figure, viewed as heroic by some conservatives who favor expansive gun rights and as a symbol of a reckless American gun culture by many on the left. (Reporting by Nathan Layne; editing by Grant McCool) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Amy Tennery (Reuters) -The head of the Women’s Tennis Association on Wednesday voiced doubt over an email it received, also released by a Chinese state media outlet, in which tennis player Peng Shuai was said to deny her allegations of sexual assault. Peng, one of China’s biggest sport stars, said on social media this month that former Chinese vice premier Zhang Gaoli coerced her into sex and that they later had an on-off consensual relationship. Her post was deleted about half an hour later and she had not since then been seen in public or made a statement, alarming the global tennis community. On Twitter on Wednesday, Chinese state media outlet CGTN released what it said was an email Peng had sent to WTA Chairman Steve Simon, who is also its CEO, in which she said the allegation of assault was untrue. Twitter is blocked in China. “The statement released today by Chinese state media concerning Peng Shuai only raises my concerns as to her safety and whereabouts,” Simon said in a written statement. “I have a hard time believing that Peng Shuai actually wrote the email we received or believes what is being attributed to her.” Beijing has yet to comment on Peng’s initial allegation and discussion of the topic has been blocked on China’s heavily censored internet. The statement comes as China prepares to host the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February amid calls from global rights groups and others for a boycott over its human rights record. “My answer is very simple. This is not a foreign affairs matter, and I am not aware of the situation you mentioned,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Thursday when asked about Peng’s whereabouts and whether China is concerned her case would affect its image ahead of the Olympics. The Chinese Tennis Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The email which CGTN attributes to Peng says: “I’m not missing, nor am I unsafe. I’ve just been resting at home and everything is fine.” Besides CGTN, the English-language arm of state broadcaster CCTV, no other Chinese media outlet as of Thursday morning in Asia had reported the letter. A representative for Peng did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Florida-based WTA and its men’s counterpart, the London-based Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), previously called on China to investigate Peng’s allegations. Current and former players, from multi-major winners Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic to Billie Jean King, have expressed support and concern for Peng, with many top women’s players taking to social media with the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai. “The WTA and the rest of the world need independent and verifiable proof that she is safe,” Simon wrote. “I have repeatedly tried to reach her via numerous forms of communications, to no avail.” Peng, 35, was the first Chinese player to top the world rankings when she was doubles number one in 2014. She won doubles titles at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014. Zhang, now 75, was a vice premier between 2013 and 2018 and served on the Politburo Standing Committee between 2012 and 2017. “I hope @WTA continues to show what we stand for as players,” Jessica Pegula, a top-20 American player, said on Twitter. “We are extremely lucky to be able to do what we do but I hope more people, not just tennis players, shed some light on this deeply concerning situation.” (Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Additional reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; Editing by Michael Perry, Robert Birsel and Nick Macfie) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jane Campion will never direct a superhero movie. The 67-year-old filmmaker has slammed the genre as “noisy and ridiculous” and has vowed never to helm a superhero flick. Speaking at a screening of her movie ‘The Power of the Dog’, Jane told Variety: “I hate them. I actually hate them.” She added: “I think it’s safe to say that I will never do that. They’re so noisy and like ridiculous. Sometimes you get a good giggle, but I don’t know what the thing is with the capers, a grown man in tights. I feel like it must come from pantomime.” Jane is the latest filmmaker to risk the ire of superhero fans, as legendary director Sir Ridley Scott branded the genre as “boring as s***” in a recent interview. The ‘House of Gucci’ director told Deadline: “The best films are driven by the characters, and we’ll come to superheroes after this if you want, because I’ll crush it. I’ll f***ing crush it. They’re f***ing boring as s***. “They’re superhero movies. So, why don’t the superhero movies have better stories? Sorry. I got off the rail, but I mean, c’mon. They’re mostly saved by special effects, and that’s becoming boring for everyone who works with special effects, if you’ve got the money.” Jane has helmed ‘The Power of the Dog’ – a movie that is set in 1920s Montana and follows cattle rancher Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) whose presides over a reign of terror towards his brother (Jesse Plemons) when he marries a young widow (Kirsten Dunst) and felt it was more than a conventional Western film. ‘The Piano’ director said: “The film is clearly a complex way of approaching masculinity. I think it’s a solid container for thinking and rethinking the men in this world. “I didn’t think of it as a Western. The story was too specific.” View the full article

Published by DPA Sufragan Bishop Rolf Steinhaeuser, currently administering the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Cologne, speaks in front of the Cologne Cathedral. Steinhaeuser acknowledged church failings in a large sex abuse scandal at a closed service in the German cathedral city on Thursday. Henning Kaiser/dpa The bishop currently administering the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Cologne acknowledged church failings in a large sex abuse scandal at a closed service in the German cathedral city on Thursday. “A large number of crimes of sexual violence were perpetrated on wards of the church by priests and other church staff,” Sufragan Bishop Rolf Steinhaeuser said during a penance service held in Cologne Cathedral. Steinhaeuser is currently deputizing for Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, who has taken a sabbatical following controversy over his decision not to publish a report on the abuse scandal. While he was unable to apologise on behalf of the perpetrators of the abuse, he did not want to make the faithful jointly liable for their actions, Steinhaeuser said. “This service does not end with forgiveness,” he stressed. “We cannot absolve ourselves. We also do not ask the victims for forgiveness, so that we can feel better,” he said, describing the service, which was not open to the public, as an acknowledgement of guilt and commemoration of the victims. A person holds a sign in front of the Cologne Cathedral at a rally by the Maria 2.0 initiative during a closed service. Sufragan Bishop Rolf Steinhaeuser, currently administering the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Cologne, acknowledged church failings in a large sex abuse scandal. Henning Kaiser/dpa View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Salma Hayek thinks Lady Gaga’s parents are “hot”. The 55-year-old actress has complimented her ‘House of Gucci’ co-star’s mother and father on their good looks. Salma told the ‘Bad Romance’ singer: “Your mom is hot.” And Gaga – whose real name is Stefani Germanotta – agreed with Salma’s observation. According to E! News, she replied: “I know, my mom is so hot!” Salma then described Gaga’s mom as “beautiful”, before he praised her dad, too. She said: “By the way, your dad is hot too.” And Gaga – who plays the part of Patrizia Reggiani in ‘House of Gucci’ – then quipped: “Don’t tell my mother!” The chart-topping pop star spent months preparing to play Patrizia in the new movie, and she recently admitted that she’ll struggle to “let go” of the character. Speaking about playing the Italian socialite – who was convicted of hiring a hitman to kill her ex-husband – Gaga explained: “I would say that in terms of letting the character go, I don’t know that I’d ever let her go.” The singer-turned-actress also admitted that playing the role of Patrizia took a toll on her. She said: “To say that it would be easy to play a murderer would be a lie. “I don’t believe she had the murder gene, but I do believe that she was triggered and pushed so far over the edge that she committed this murder.” The pop star suffered a similar experience after playing Ally Maine in 2018’s ‘A Star Is Born’. Gaga – who appeared in the movie alongside Bradley Cooper – said: “It took me years to shed Ali from ‘A Star Is Born’ and I think the same will be true here.” View the full article

=Buck SlipDennis Rodman has acted on a lot of other things and at a key moment in his life decided to be as free as the people he met in gay bars. He tells GQ all kind of things from the North Korea thing to the joy he’s found wearing dresses all his life. — editor Dennis Rodman Gay AdjacentDennis Rodman is GQ’s style icon of 2021 Dennis Rodman is 60. Dennis Rodman is on GQ.com and in the Men of the Year Issue with6 Lil Nas X is on the cover. He gives Mychal Denzel Smith a great interview, ‘Bad Boy for Life’. Dennis Rodman is dressed like Billy Porter in GQ and he was doing it before Billy Porter. Dennis Rodman’s younger sisters used to dress him up in their clothes. Dennis Rodman had a turning point with a gun in his lap in a parking lot. Dennis Rodman started going to gay clubs and drag clubs in San Antonio after that, but his connection to gender and sexual fluidity date back to when he was a boy. (See sisters, above.) Dennis Rodman says he found people at those bars living as boldly as he wanted to, “people who wanted more than anything to be free,” according to the GQ release. Dennis Rodman tells the magazine he has fantasized about being “intimate with men”. Dennis Rodman also tells them he has never acted on it. Read the interview/profile. The conversation is about sexuality, but also emotional lows, North Korea and the whole Dennis Rodman thing. Tom Holland is in the issue as well. GQ says it’s a lineup of men who “prioritized their own values over those of the powers that be…” Dennis Rodman Gay Adjacent on Towleroad Mashup Links: Adele, Industry Lauds Missy Elliott’s Hollywood Star; Gaga Gucci; Best Mashup Ever (MJ, Phil Collins); Katie Porter More New York auction smashes record for Frida Kahlo work More 86-year-old crowned Miss Holocaust Survivor in Israeli beauty pageant More Mike Tyson ‘died’ after smoking toad venom More Britney Spears Opens Up About Life After Her Conservatorship, Says Her Family Should Be In Prison For ‘All The Bad Things’ They Did To Her More JoJo Siwa hails Demi Lovato as ‘sweet, nicest, kindest’ person More Kanye West & Drake Seemingly Bury The Hatchet At Dave Chappelle Show In Toronto, After The ‘Donda’ Singer Made A Peace Offering Earlier This Month More Philippines group seeks to bar Marcos from presidency over tax evasion More U.S. annual drug overdose deaths hit record high of over 100,000 More Bradley Cooper Finally Speaks Out About Lady Gaga Romance Speculation During ‘A Star Is Born,’ Reveals Their Chemistry ‘Reduced’ His Anxiety More U.S. offshore oil auction begins under court order, shadow of climate deal More Load More View the full article

‘Stylish’, ‘Amazing’, ‘Bonkers’, ‘Perfect’ –Reviews for Michael Jackson/Phil Collins Mashup by A Mystery Masked TikTok DJ Sickickis (Nerdists, BoingBoing) [This post contains video, click to play] His caption:”If mj and phil collins had a secret relationship we didn’t know about… ” Music Links. Entertainment links. Gay Links to great partners Prince Andrew got paid for royal access via an unsecured $2 million loanParis Hilton’s New Husband, Carter Reum, Has A 9-Year-Old Child Who He’s Only Met Once20 People Spill The Strangest Things They’ve Seen At Someone’s HousePeople Who Pretend They Didn’t Deliberately Do Things Get Called Out In This Online Group (20 Pics)Top 5 Older/younger gay hook-ups in films (NSFW)MTV EMAs Show Support For LGBTQ Community, Held Outside Of The USOMG, sleigh her! RuPaul is really not into this unauthorized, holiday decoration of herOpen Post: Hosted By Hilary Duff Recreating Her With Love” Dance, Which Has Taken TikTok By StormOMG, have you heard? Lil Nas X covers GQ as ‘Man Of The Year’Pop Music Easter Eggs & Hidden Songs You Never Knew AboutAdele from One Night; Gucci Gaga Worldwide; Dua Remix [This post contains video, click to play] More Mashup Music Links. Entertainment links. Gay Links Mark Allen Pays Tribute to Hudson, N.Y., the City He 'Loves'!by Kenneth M. Walsh35 Products That Will Make You Say “Of Course That’s A Thing”by Hannah RileyAaron Sorkin Defended His Casting Choices For “Being The Ricardos”by MiekaNicole Scherzinger Stops By Empire State Building To Promote 'Annie Live!'by Just JaredDarren Criss Talks New Holiday Album 'A Very Darren Crissmas' at The Grammy Museumby Just JaredIt Gets Better Project Funding 50 Grants In 50 States For LGBTQ Studentsby Randy SlovacekThe Week in Drag – Meet the queens of Queen of the Universe and Drag Race Italia, revisit Drag Race UK’s fugly fashions, new music from Trixie and Alaska and moreby Christine FitzgeraldWoof: Our Favorite Instagram Posts This Weekby Randy SlovacekGay sex is destroying the endangered dunes of Maspalomasby CocktailsCocktalkMale Model Monday: Jorge Diaz, Michael Yerger, Chase Mattson, and moreby Miu von Furstenberg Missy Elliott’s Hollywood Star Legacy Street Party; Plus Rockstar Katyie Perryorter vs Oil Execs [This post contains video, click to play] Missy Star Celebration – Curated tweets by michael_goff View the full article

Published by AFP A Sotheby's worker arranges the Frida Kahlo self-portrait New York (AFP) – A rare painting by Frida Kahlo sold in a New York auction house Tuesday for almost $35 million, a record price for a work by the iconic Mexican artist. At the same sale, a painting by French artist Pierre Soulages also broke a record for his work by reaching $20.2 million dollars. As expected, the self-portrait of Kahlo entitled “Diego y yo” (“Diego and me,” 1949), where the face of the painter’s husband Diego Rivera appears on her forehead, smashed the former record of $8 million set by a Kahlo in 2016. That made it the most expensive Latin American work of art in history sold at auction, the previous record having gone to a painting by Diego Rivera himself, whose work “Los Rivales” (1931) sold for $9.76 million in 2018. “Diego y yo” is emblematic of Kahlo’s self-portraits, known for their intense and enigmatic gaze that made the Mexican painter, a feminist icon, famous around the world. In the painting, Rivera’s face appears on Frida’s forehead, above her distinctive eyebrows and dark eyes from which a few teardrops fall. The depiction of Rivera, who at the time was close to Mexican actress Maria Felix, as a third eye symbolizes the extent to which he tormented her thoughts, art experts say. Kahlo and Rivera married each other twice. She died aged just 47 in 1954. “Diego y yo” last sold at Sotheby’s for $1.4 million in 1990. Soulages’ painting, which had spent more than 30 years in a private collection, corresponds to the red period of the century-old French artist. It sold for $20.2 million after a heated battle between several bidders, some of them in Sotheby’s auction room and others on the phone, greatly exceeding the previous record reached in 2019 of $9.6 million euros in Paris. View the full article

Published by DPA Holocaust survivor Selina Steinfels (C), 86, reacts after shwa was announced winner of the ‘Miss Holocaust Survivor 2021’, a special beauty pageant hosted by the Friends of Zion Museum to honour ten Holocaust survivor women between the age of 79 and 90. Alejandro Ernesto/dpa The 86-year-old Salina Steinfeld has been crowned Miss Holocaust Survivor 2021 in an annual Israeli beauty pageant. “We need to be strong, to know how to take care of ourselves – and most importantly, to help each other,” said Steinfeld, according to organizers on Wednesday. “Don’t leave unfortunate people alone.” According to the statement, the senior citizen visits other Holocaust survivors at least once a week as a volunteer, despite her advanced age. Steinfeld was born in the Romanian city of Iasi in 1935, according to organizers, where she experienced Nazi attacks in 1941 with her parents, her brothers and her grandmother. In 1948, she moved to Israel, got married and had three children. Today she has seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. “This is my personal victory over the Nazis, we must remember and not forget,” she said. According to the organization Yad Ezer L’Haver, there were several hundred applicants for the beauty pageant, from which 10 finalists were selected. Spectators were also able to participate via online voting. The unusual pageant aims to “bring joy to the heroines who survived the Holocaust,” a statement said. The participants spend a day being spoiled by professional make-up artists, hairdressers and stylists. Last year’s contest was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Holocaust survivor Rivka Papo,87, gets her make-up and hair done during ‘Miss Holocaust Survivor 2021’, a special beauty pageant hosted by the Friends of Zion Museum to honour ten Holocaust survivor women between the age of 79 and 90. Alejandro Ernesto/dpa Holocaust survivor, Chana Harel, 90, gets her make-up and hair done during ‘Miss Holocaust Survivor 2021’, a special beauty pageant hosted by the Friends of Zion Museum to honour ten Holocaust survivor women between the age of 79 and 90. Alejandro Ernesto/dpa View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Mike Tyson “died” after he smoked toad venom. The 55-year-old former professional boxer tripped out after taking the psychedelic drug – which is collected from the Bufo Alvarius amphibian species and then dried before being turned into a crystal that is able to be smoked – for the first time, and he credits the substance for teaching him that he isn’t going to live “forever”. He said: “I ‘died’ during my first trip. In my trips I’ve seen that death is beautiful. “Life and death both have to be beautiful, but death has a bad rep. “The toad has taught me that I’m not going to be here forever. There’s an expiration date.” Prior to the first time he ever took the drug, Tyson insists he was “a wreck”, and so he puffed away on the venom for a dare. He said: “I did it as a dare. I was doing heavy drugs like cocaine, so why not? It’s another dimension. Before I did the toad, I was a wreck. “The toughest opponent I ever faced was myself. I had low self-esteem. “People with big egos often have low self-esteem. We use our ego to subsidize that. The toad strips the ego.” But toad has helped the former fighter-turned-businessman – who is working on two brands of cannabis – to turn his life around, and it has enabled him to “focus” a lot better after he used it 53 times in the last four years, during which time he has also shed 100lbs. Speaking to The New York Post newspaper at Wonderland – a Miami conference dedicated to psychedelics, microdosing and medicine – he added: “It has made me more creative and helps me focus. “I’m more present as a businessman and entrepreneur. People see the difference [in me]. It speaks for itself. “If you knew me in 1989 you knew a different person. My mind isn’t sophisticated enough to fathom what happened, but life has improved. “The toad’s whole purpose is to reach your highest potential. I look at the world differently. We’re all the same. Everything is love.” In April, US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter said toad venom helped to keep him sober for more than a year. View the full article

Published by OK Magazine Britney Spears is still over the moon after her conservatorship was terminated on November 12. The 39-year-old posted a video on Instagram on Tuesday, November 16, where she addressed what comes next. “I’ve been in the conservatorship for 13 years. It’s a really a long time to be in a situation you don’t want to be in,” the blonde beauty began. “So I’m just grateful for each day and being able to have the keys to my car, to be able to be independent and feel like a woman. Owning an ATM card, seeing cash for the first time … It’s the little things.” MEGA STRONGER THAN YESTERDAY! A DEFINITIVE TIMELINE OF EVENTS THAT LED TO BRITNEY SPEARS’ CONTROVERSIAL CONSERVATORSHIP: PHOTOS “But I’m not here to be a victim. I lived with victims my whole life when I was a child. That’s why I got out of my house and worked for 20 years. And I worked my ass off,” the “Lucky” singer said. The pop icon said that she hopes the media attention that her case drew will lead to reforms in the whole conservatorship system. “I’m here to be an advocate for people with real disabilities and illnesses,” the pop icon told her followers. “Hopefully my story will make an impact and make some changes in the corrupt system.” Spears also thanked the #FreeBritney movement. “You guys rock,” she gushed. “My voice was muted and threatened for so long and I wasn’t able to speak up and say anything … you guys saved my life, 100%.” MEGA “I might as well do a hint of my thoughts on the gram before I go and set things square on @Oprah !!!!!” the “Womanizer” songstress captioned the post. “I mean who knows … I do know how embarrassing is to share the fact I’ve never seen cash or wasn’t able to drive my car …. but honestly it still blows my mind every day I wake up how my family and the conservatorship were able to do what they did to me … it was demoralizing and degrading !!!!” Spears wrote that she wasn’t going to mention “all the bad things” her family did to her but claimed they should be in jail. “yes including my church going mother [Lynne Spears] !!!!” she added. “I’m used to keeping peace for the family and keeping my mouth shut … but not this time … I have NOT FORGOTTEN and I hope they can look up tonight and know EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN !!!!” she concluded. ‘I JUST WANT TO HELP’: CHRISTIAN SIRIANO, SARAH JESSICA PARKER, BETTE MIDLER REACT TO BRITNEY SPEARS’ CONSERVATORSHIP AFTER DOCUMENTARY MAKES WAVES MEGA As previously reported by OK!, Spears’ mother is said to have flown to Los Angeles to try to reconnect with her oldest daughter a few weeks before the conservatorship was terminated but the “Toxic” singer didn’t let her into her home. Spears was placed in the conservatorship in 2008 following a mental health crisis. Her father, Jamie Spears, was suspended from the legal arrangement in September. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English JoJo Siwa has described Demi Lovato as the “one of the sweetest, nicest, kindest, and most supportive people ever”. The 18-year-old star – who made it to the ‘Dancing With The Stars’ final on Monday (15.11.21) alongside her pro partner Jenna Johnson after this year’s semi-final – was overwhelmed to see her hero posting a message of support on social media to encourage viewers to vote. Demi tweeted: “My friend @itsjojosiwa is in the SEMI-FINALS of Dancing With The Stars! SHE NEEDS OUR HELP GETTING INTO THE FINALS! IT’S TIME TO VOTE FOR HER AND JENNA. (sic)” Responding to their message, JoJo told Extra: “To think that there’s someone I’ve looked up to for so long, that now texts me, ‘Kill it tonight’. “I mean, Demi’s literally one of the sweetest, nicest, kindest, and most supportive people ever… “Literally every single thing that Demi posted, we sent back and forth to each other.” While the focus is on the competition, the pair are also thinking about Thanksgiving, and JoJo revealed her family actually have two celebrations throughout the year. Asked about the holiday traditions in her household, she said: “Over the top. Lots of food. “My mom’s gravy… it will change your life. There’s corn, potato casserole, and green bean casserole, turkey, and ham.” “We do Thanksgiving twice a year. We do Thanksgiving in November and we do Thanksgiving in April because we miss it.” Fmaily means a lot to JoJo, and she was delighted to have her grandmother in attendance for the semi-final this week. She added: “It means a lot for my grandma to be here tonight. It’s hard for her to be here… The fact that she wanted to be here made it so much greater. “Having her in the ballroom, having her live hearing it, to feel everything, honestly gave me — and I feel us — more inspiration.” View the full article

Published by OK Magazine It looks like Kanye West and Drake have put their longstanding beef behind them. The rappers surprised fans when they went to a Dave Chappelle show in Toronto earlier this week. The “All Of The Lights” singer — who recently changed his name to Ye — posted a photo of himself with Drake and J. Prince together on Instagram. He captioned the photo with a dove emoji, which may be interpreted as a symbol of peace. MEGA DRAKE SPOTTED FOR FIRST TIME SINCE BEING SUED FOLLOWING APPEARANCE AT TRAVIS SCOTT’S DEADLY ASTROWORLD FESTIVAL The “God’s Plan” rapper later posted a video of him and Ye together on Instagram. Drake had his arm around the 44-year-old artist in the clip. Earlier this month, the “Flashing Lights” singer invited the 35-year-old to make an appearance at a show in Los Angeles on December 9. “I’m making this video to address the ongoing back-and-forth between myself and Drake. Both me and Drake have taken shots at each other, and it’s time to put it to rest,” Ye said in a video at the time. MEGA “I believe this event will not only bring awareness to our cause but prove to people everywhere how much more we can accomplish when we lay our pride aside and come together,” the fashion designer announced. The gig is intended to advocate for the freedom of Larry Hoover. Hoover is currently behind bars for charges pertaining to gang activity. Hoover’s son, Larry Hoover Jr., urged Drake to accept the offer because he is “a leader and leaders make decisions that people follow,” TMZ reported. FIVE SURPRISING REVELATIONS FROM KANYE WEST’S APPEARANCE ON THE ‘DRINK CHAMPS’ PODCAST: KIM KARDASHIAN, DRAKE, BIG SEAN, MORE MEGA J. Prince seemingly confirmed that Drake had accepted the invitation. The music executive posted the same photo of the trio on Instagram. “What a beautiful night I had last night in Canada. Let’s make history December 9 Free Larry Hoover Concert,” he captioned the post. The Rap-A-Lot CEO also reposted Drake’s video with Ye. “Movement over the Moment is the big picture,” he captioned the post. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Karen Lema MANILA (Reuters) – The son of late Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos, an early frontrunner for the May election, is facing a second petition seeking to bar him from the presidential race, centred on a tax evasion conviction nearly three decades ago. The complaint, filed on Wednesday at the election commission by a group called the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law, argued the conviction should have perpetually disqualified Ferdinand Marcos Jr from holding or running for office. He was found guilty in 1995 of failing to file income tax returns from 1982 to 1985 while governor of Ilocos Norte province, a verdict upheld two years later by an appeals court. “He has continuously neglected his penalty and disrespected the rule of law by running and filing his candidacy knowing in fact that he is a convicted criminal,” lawyer Howard Calleja told reporters after the filing. Marcos’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The internal revenue code states that a public officer convicted of a tax crime will be barred for life from holding public office, voting and participating in any election. Since his conviction, however, Marcos has been elected governor, congressman and senator and ran unsuccessfully for the vice presidency. The Marcos family is one of the most famous dynasties in the Philippines and despite its fall from grace after a 1986 “people power” revolution, it has retained its wealth and far-reaching and powerful connections. Sara Duterte-Carpio, the president’s popular daughter, will be the running mate of Marcos. Antonio La Viña, a law and politics professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, said election authorities would typically only disqualify a barred candidate if a complaint is made first. “People will only complain if you are winnable,” he said, adding the case against Marcos could go either way. Asked if Marcos had ever faced a disqualification case, election commission spokesperson James Jimenez said: “Not that I can recall, no.” Marcos, whose father ruled the Philippines for almost two decades, much of that a harsh era of martial law, led an opinion poll conducted last month on preferred presidential candidates. The poll body has scheduled a preliminary conference for Nov. 26 on an earlier disqualification complaint against Marcos filed by a group representing political detainees, human rights and medical organisations, who has said that petition “is without merit and has no legal basis”. (Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Martin Petty) View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – Over 100,000 people in the United States died from drug overdoses during the 12-month period ending April 2021, setting a grim record, according to data published on Wednesday. That marks a 28.5% jump from the previous year, with deaths from opioids such as fentanyl, which can be 100 times more potent than morphine, and psychostimulants including methamphetamine helping drive the increase, provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed. “As we continue to make strides to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic, we cannot overlook this epidemic of loss, which has touched families and communities across the country,” U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement. Data in July showed https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-drug-overdose-deaths-rise-30-record-during-pandemic-2021-07-14 that last year’s drug overdoses jumped 30% as pandemic lockdowns made getting treatment difficult and dealers laced more drugs with fentanyl or copycat versions of the potent opioid. Drug suppliers more frequently mixed the powerful synthetic opioid with cocaine and methamphetamine to boost their effects, health officials said. Even minuscule amounts of fentanyl make the drugs far more dangerous to users. The new data showed that deaths from cocaine and prescription pain drugs also increased compared to the previous year. The U.S. states with the biggest percentage spike in overdose deaths were Vermont at 70%, followed by West Virginia (62.2%) and Kentucky (54.5%). (Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine Back in 2018, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s electric chemistry in A Star Is Born was all anyone could talk about. During an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter the actor, 46, finally responded to all of the speculation that he and the “Perfect Illusion” singer, 35, were more than co-stars acting out an epic love story on screen. MEGA “Just from a personal standpoint, it reduces the anxiety level,” Cooper told the entertainment outlet about his connection with Gaga. LADY GAGA REVEALS SHE WORE ‘BULLETPROOF’ DRESS WHILE SINGING NATIONAL ANTHEM AT PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN’S INAUGURATION “They [Jackson and Ally] kind of fall in love in that scene in the film,” the director explained, referring to the duo singing “Shallow” for the first time. “It’s that explosive moment that happens to them on a stage in front of thousands of people…It would have been so weird if we were both on stools facing the audience.” While addressing the steamy Oscars performance between the two, the outlet revealed that Cooper “had conceived the performance to unfold like a scene from the movie in part to help manage his own fears about singing live.” MEGA As OK! previously reported, in 2019 — Gaga tackled the rumors head on during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live following the live performance of the headline-making duet. BARBRA STREISAND WAS ‘SURPRISED’ BY HOW SIMILAR BRADLEY COOPER & LADY GAGA’S ‘A STAR IS BORN’ WAS TO THE 1976 VERSION SHE STARRED IN When the late night host told the vocalist that people thought “Oh, they must be in love,” Gaga replied — “Yes, people saw love and guess what? That’s what we wanted you to see.” MEGA “This is a love song, ‘Shallow.’ The movie A Star Is Born, it’s a love story,” the “Born This Way” musician explained. “We worked all week on that performance,” as she added “Bradley had the vision for how it should go.” The actress further clarified “I’m an artist and I guess we did a good job. Fooled ya!” Cooper and Gaga starred as Ally and Jackson Mane in the highly acclaimed musical film. The songwriter took home an Oscar for Best Original Song for penning “Shallow” as well as a nomination for Best Actress. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Nichola Groom (Reuters) -The Biden administration on Wednesday kicked off an auction of oil drilling rights to 80 million acres in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico days after joining a global agreement that for the first time targeted fossil fuels as the main driver of global warming. The sale by the Department of Interior is the first under President Joe Biden, whose administration paused drilling sales under a promise to end development on federal properties. But Biden lost a court fight to oil-producing states that sued to reinstate the sales. Sale statistics released by the administration early on Wednesday indicated higher interest in drilling tracts from oil and gas companies than in recent government sales. Interior said 307 tracts received bids from 29 companies. At the department’s last Gulf lease sale a year ago, 93 tracts received bids from 23 companies. The auction was being live-streamed early on Wednesday, and early bidders included Exxon Mobil Corp, BP Plc, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Talos Energy Inc. The administration has appealed and a suit by environmental groups seeking to halt the sale is pending. The U.S. is moving ahead to hold onshore lease auctions in several states early next year. Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management was auctioning almost all available unleased Gulf of Mexico blocks, 80 million acres, at a live-streamed event on Wednesday morning. It is the first opportunity to test the oil and gas industry’s demand for Gulf acreage with energy prices at multi-year highs. U.S. crude futures on Tuesday settled at $80.76 a barrel, up 95% in the last 12 months. The Trump administration’s final Gulf sale, held last November, generated a modest $121 million in high bids. But oil companies Shell, BP and Chevron are seizing on the higher prices to advance offshore projects. Despite the court-ordered resumption of auctions, Interior spokesperson Melissa Schwartz said the agency was “conducting a more comprehensive analysis of greenhouse gas impacts from potential oil and gas lease sales than ever before.” Environmentalists called for Biden to halt the sale via executive order. “Biden has the authority to stop this, but instead he’s casting his lot in with the fossil fuel industry,” said Kristen Monsell, senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity. (Reporting by Nichola Groom; additional reporting by Sebastien Malo in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler and David Gregorio) View the full article